#11- I Didn't Do It

#11- I Didn't Do It

I Didn't Do It

Written by: Patricia MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlan Charest

Illustrated by: Katy Schneider

Katherine Tegen Books, 2010

28 pages

Poetry

"I didn't do it. uh-uh. I didn't chew your slipper. I don't like the taste of wool."

          This book is told from the point of view of a collection of puppies. Each individual poem is told by a different puppy, but the poems all work together to form a collection of stories about what dogs experience from day to day. Usually, the poem will be about an event that happened. The puppy will experience something like rain or getting in trouble, and the poem will be his response to that particular experience. Often times, the title of the poem only gives you a hint about what the poem is about. While you are reading it, you are able to try and figure out what the dog is talking about.

          Schneider uses oil paints to create the beautiful, life-like pictures in this book. The pictures were actually modeled after real puppies. Katy Schneider successfully captures emotion in each puppies' eyes. The illustrations tell the story of the poems on each page. The warm colors and hues set the relaxing tone of the book.

          This book is appropriate for any age group. However, younger elementary school students would greatly enjoy the pictures. It would be more efficient to read these poems aloud to a younger age level classroom. The poems can be cryptic, so by reading it aloud, you can guide the class toward understanding what the poem is referring to. This book would be great to use in a poetry lesson. You could read a few poems out loud, and then have your students write a poem about their favorite animal/pet. Younger students could excel in this activity, because the poems do not rhyme.

          This book has not one any awards (yet). However, Patricia MacLachlan has won the Newbery Medal for her book Sarah, Plain and Tall. Katy Schneider's paintings have been exhibited world-wide.